Mainstream Dutch Politician Calls for a Hijab Tax

Say what you will, but Geert Wilders is now a mainstream politician in Europe. He scores second highest in a  poll to become premier of the Netherlands (link, h/t Wikipedia). He is in the news advocating for a Hijab or "headscarf" tax.


It would be amusing to see how this would be implemented. How would a police office figure out whether a non-Muslim is wearing a headscarf? Would babushkas also be taxed? If not, could I get away with wearing a babushka? What about if a man is wearing a headscarf? Wouldn't it be discrimination not to tax a man for wearing a headscarf?


Actually I take that back, this is not an amusing exercise.

It is pretty sad that Mr Wilders claims Jewish ancestry as his story seems like the beginnings of the next Hitler (including the fake blond hair). He states he is an athiest but says he is a "friend" to Jews and Christians. I implore my Christian and Jewish neighbors to realize that his kind is also a threat to you, just further down the road. He might be for taxing the headscarf today, but he might be getting rid of the tax exemption for your church and synagogue next.

Maureen Dowd shows a reason for Hijab

Most of us automatically assume that the Hijab is all about covering hair. It is not just limited to that -- it is about dressing modestly. The Quran spends many words discussing modest clothing and only broaches, indirectly, head-covering.

Reading this Maureen Dowd, Op-Ed, I couldn't help but feel that the hijab would solve problems for everyone:

A male friend once told me he was looking for an unattractive personal assistant so he wouldn’t be tempted. And when I was hiring a Grace Kelly blonde as a researcher a few years ago, a male colleague asked me not to because it would be “too distracting” to him; two girlfriends cautioned me not to because it would be depressing — and therefore, distracting — for me to work with someone so good looking. (It wasn’t.)
“Sometimes, honestly, I wish I didn’t look the way I did,” Lorenzana says, “because people judge you right away. Other women have their guards up, they automatically categorize you as being conceited. I have to work three times as hard to prove that I earned this through my hard work.
“My life has been hard my whole entire life. People have this misconception that, ‘Oh, you do well in your life because of your looks.’ No, I am harassed.”

update: added tags, no change to the post